American Cancer Society article on placebo effect - contrasts subjective vs objective changes

[Dolphin]

Placebo Effect
http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/treatmenttypes/placebo-effect

I thought this was quite a good article on the issue.

It includes the following:

"But placebos do not cure. And in studies where doctors are looking at whether a tumor shrinks, placebos have very little, if any, effect."

"Researchers agree that the placebo effect can’t cure people or make them live a lot longer."

"When the patients’ rankings were compared with outcomes others could measure (like the amount of swelling, fever, or movement) there were often no improvements in the measurable outcomes."

"A 2010 review carefully analyzed more than 200 studies that included a placebo group along with a “no treatment” group. The reviewers found that placebo treatments don’t have major effects on illness, but in certain settings they appear to improve patient-reported outcomes – especially pain and nausea."

"The bottom line is that placebos don’t cure."